


i liked you

by yhighon



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Gen, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts, just let dream and ghostbur get along pls and thanks, like lowkey, theyre bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28233006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yhighon/pseuds/yhighon
Summary: “It’s better for everyone else. No one liked Alive Wilbur.” The ghost continues.“I liked you, when you were alive.” Dream says, and it isn’t even a lie. He doesn’t particularly miss the old Wilbur, the one who went insane. But before that, before the crazy set in and got the better of him, Dream liked Wilbur. Enough to have as a tentative ally.The TNT came from him, after all.(Dream goes to the Nether to be alone. Wilbur makes an appearance.)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 130





	i liked you

“Dream?” The voice comes from behind him, and he swears. He didn’t expect anyone to find him here, much less him, the ghost he’d sent off into the woods only a few days prior. (He wasn’t supposed to be seen again.)

He pulls his mask down over his face, quickly and with practiced efficiency. Mask down, hood up, axe pulled out, pointed at the chest of Wilbur, who somehow looks even worse for wear despite already being dead.

“Sorry, Dream! I didn’t mean to scare you!” He says, putting his hands up, ready to defend himself from the netherite axe in Dream’s hands. He looks stupid, holding his slightly see-through hands out against the glowing netherite, but Dream holds him there for a minute before putting his axe to the side.

“What do you want.” It comes out demanding, not really what he’d intended, but the look of transparent fear on the ghost’s face has the desired effect. Dream isn’t even sure if he could kill Wilbur again, but he’s sure he could, make sure there’s nothing left of the former revolutionary.

“I’m just in the area.” Wilbur says, looking out at the lava. “What are you doing?” 

“None of your business.” Dream says, standing up from the edge of the netherrack where he’d been sitting, dusting off his pants and beginning to walk away from the edge of it. He starts to walk on the path, away from the direction of the portal, not expecting the ghost to follow him.

But he does, floating along behind him. 

“Where are you going?” He asks, and Dream wants to tell Wilbur to go away, that he came to the Nether so that he didn’t have to deal with anyone, much less a ghost who barely understands what anyone’s ever talking about anyway.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t deserve that.

“I’m just looking for more blaze rods.” Dream says, a lie. The ghost bites, nodding. 

“I think I saw a fortress somewhere. I’m not sure which way, though. Oh! I think Fundy knows. Should I call Fundy?” It’s meant to be nice, but Dream doesn’t want to deal with Fundy on top of Wilbur, on top of himself.

“No, it’s okay. I know where it is.” Another lie, but in all fairness he’s pretty sure it’s in this direction. Most of the area surrounding the portals is built-on, developed, so it isn’t hard to walk along the bridge, even as heat suffocates them from the lava below.

Dream has never been one to like spending a lot of time in the Nether, but it’s the only place that isn’t crowded, doesn’t always have someone on his ass trying to bargain with him or take him down.

He’s considered building a new base here, actually, but the heat would be too much and he hates leaving the server unsupervised for too long. So many things to do, so many people to keep in line. He’s exhausted.

Before, he could trust Sapnap and George to help him. They’d keep an eye on what he couldn’t, and though he frequently went behind them, it was still a much lighter workload.

Now, they aren’t speaking, and Dream is pretending that it doesn’t hurt. (Keep going until you absolutely can’t, isn’t that how he always operates?)

“Look!” Wilbur says, and Dream jumps, hand halfway to his axe before realizing it’s just the fortress. “I guess you did know the way.” It’s not supposed to sound unkind, but Dream is defensive.

“Of course I know the way, I come here all the time.” He spits, and doesn’t wait for the ghost to respond as he goes through the hallway of the fortress, taking a left to find the spawner. There’s a couple blazes already spawned, and he takes them down easily, letting his mind drift as his hands do what they’ve always done.

(Distantly, he wonders if it’s better to be dead.)

Eventually he hears Wilbur calling his name, and he comes back to himself, quickly cutting down the wither skeleton that’s trying to kill the ghost (again, ha). 

“Thanks, Dream! You know, you’re a cool guy. I know a lot of people don’t like you, but I do.” Wilbur says, and Dream stares at him for a moment, letting the ghost squirm in social discomfort.

“Can I ask you something, Wilbur?” Dream says, and he nods, surprised.

“Uh, yeah, of course, Dream. What is it?” Wilbur seems like he doesn’t expect to be asked permission. (Probably from so much time with Tommy.)

“Is it better to be dead?” 

There’s silence for a couple beats, and Dream is about to move back to the portal, to leave the ghost standing there, but then Wilbur answers.

“I don’t know. It’s not bad, but I don’t remember a lot from being alive.”

It’s not really the answer Dream had expected, but then again, he isn’t sure what he’d expected. Isn’t sure what he’d wanted to hear. 

And if it was better to be dead, would he die? Kill himself, put his axe through his skull or take a sharp knife to his wrists and die?

Dream’s never been the suicidal type. (Sapnap and George used to yell at him everytime he fought recklessly, not caring if he made it home. He guesses someone had to care for his safety, considering he never did.)

“It’s better for everyone else. No one liked Alive Wilbur.” The ghost continues.

“I liked you, when you were alive.” Dream says, and it isn’t even a lie. He doesn’t particularly miss the old Wilbur, the one who went insane. But before that, before the crazy set in and got the better of him, Dream liked Wilbur. Enough to have as a tentative ally.

The TNT came from him, after all. 

“Oh.” Is all Wilbur says, and Dream has the feeling like he’s said too much. 

“Come on.” Dream starts walking out of the fortress, taking down another wither skeleton, a couple magma cubes that continue to split as they die. Eventually the dark bricks turn to netherrack, and they leave the fortress, heading back to the bridge.

Once there, Dream stops for a moment, looking out over the bridges connecting different paths to the portal, from parts of the Nether, mostly used for gathering resources. It’s hot, and he can feel sweat start to drip down his face, but he pauses, taking it all in. Letting the quiet wash over him before he has to return to the constant noise of the Overworld.

Wilbur stops with him, moving to see what Dream’s looking at, following his line of sight to the crackling lava.

“Here, have some blue.” The ghost says, and it snaps Dream back into reality, turning to face his dead ally.

“What?” He asks, turning it over in his hands. 

“It takes away your sadness.” Wilbur explains, tilting his head to the side as he does. The motion makes the ghost seem childish, and Dream is reminded of someone else.

“I’m not sad.” He retorts, preparing to give back the weird object. “Why do you think I’m sad?” 

“You were looking out at the lava. Tommy would do that, when he was sad.” The ghost says, as if he were suggesting it might rain later.

Sometimes Dream wonders how close Tommy really was, to the edge, before running away. He puts that away for later. Put it away for later and then never revisit it. Compartmentalize. 

He’s silent for a moment, and Wilbur fidgets, uncomfortable with the silence.

“Anyway!” He carries on, breaking the silence, “I hope you feel better Dream! I have to go, but I liked our time together!”

As quickly as Wilbur originally appeared behind him, he’s gone, leaving Dream with the blue object in his hands and standing in the middle of the bridge. 

It’s only then that he really feels the heat, the oppressive air that never seems to have enough oxygen.

Dream takes a deep breath, and heads back to the portal, letting the blue sit in his pocket.

**Author's Note:**

> did i make dream too sympathetic?? probably! :DD
> 
> anyway
> 
> uh yeah i wish they interacted more in canon. we got a little bit in tommys stream but yeah. idk.
> 
> have a good day/night, don't kill yourself <33


End file.
